Disticho Fever!

Distichodus sexfasciatus gets its name from the six dark bars that vertically stripe its body (sex = six and fasciatus = stripes). No one put much more thought into this fish's common names as most of them are some variations of Six Bar, or Six Band Distichodus. Most frequently it just gets called Distichodus sexfasciatus; which, while accurate, does lack imagination.

Distichodus sexfasciatus is an African fish, usually found in the Congo River basin, but individuals have been found in parts of Lake Tanganyika as well. For years they were thought to be impossible to breed because of their migratory nature (and generally disagreeable attitude toward other adult Distichodus). These attributes still make them challenging to culture, and wild caught specimens are still frequently seen in Local Fish Stores. That being said, recent advancements have allowed for the successful aquaculture of these fish, and they are sometimes available on a cultured basis.

Distichodus sexfasciatus is a popular aquarium fish, especially among those aquarists who are interested in monster fish. Before you ask, yes, this fish can get pretty big. The biggest one ever registered was caught on a rod and reel and was 44 pounds and 39 inches from nose to tail tip! This being said, they grow very slowly once they get to ten inches long or so, and so fish bigger than 15 inches long are rarely seen. Even at that size, this fish will need an aquarium that is a minimum of 125 gallons and once larger, could require a very large tank (measured in hundreds of gallons) or even a pond when it matures.

These tanks should be covered and secured as Distichodus sexfasciatus is an experienced jumper, and a strong one to boot. Decor should offer some cover in the way of rocks and driftwood. As we'll get into later, they like to eat, and so they are high risk in planted aquariums. This being said, we've seen some very well-fed specimens be completely fine in very large, planted aquariums, where either they couldn't be bothered to eat more than they were already being fed, or the plants did well enough to stand up to some grazing. Regardless, they are a risk in planted tanks, and we don't recommend it.

In regard to water quality, the fish that are cultured can be kept in a wide range of aquarium parameters, and over time, even the wild fish will adapt to conditions that are different than their wild range. Initially however, the wild fish will do better in water that is softish, think 5 to 25 dkh and slightly acidic with a pH between 6 and 7. Temperature wise they should be kept in displays that are in the mid 70-degree Fahrenheit range.

They are generally offered as small fish, in the two-inch range, and at this size, are frequently seen in groups. We do not recommend keeping them this way, unless you have a display that is absolutely massive as they will get aggressive with others of their kind that are of a similar size. This aggression is amplified in displays that are too small. Strangely, they seem to be less bothered by smaller fish, even ones of the same species. Distichodus sexfasciatus can stick up for themselves, and they are often seen in tanks featuring Tanganyikan Cichlids. Other good tankmates would be things like Catfish, Large Bichirs, and Pacus. Smaller fish that are very fast like Danios and Barbs would also likely be okay.

One of the most important, and honestly easiest, aspects of keeping Distichodus sexfasciatus is feeding them. Their adult colors are almost totally dependent on the quality and variety of the foods they are fed. Many people report that they will gray out when they get very large, but the photos of the world record fish still show a deeply colored and starkly barred fish. The easy part about feeding them is that they will seemingly eat anything that goes in the tank. Hobbyists should make the base of this fish's diet the highest quality, nutritionally dense pellet they can find, and here we use Nutramar Complete for that job. They also get fed a mix of thawed meaty foods that are appropriately sized, so at this small size, these foods include things like Gamma Brine, Mysis, and Bloodworms, but larger fish would easily take chopped seafood and shrimp. Wild adults often take some seeds and nuts so as you work out your diet for them, think quality food, and think broad spectrum and they will retain their striking pattern and colors for a long time.

Distichodus sexfasciatus is a striking fish with a very unique body shape. Their colors are bold, and they are very active in the aquarium. While they aren't the right fish for a peaceful, small fish community display, they absolutely have a place in large aquariums with other fish of similar activity levels. Will they get big? Yup. For some aquarists that's the whole point! If you are that guy, with that tank, and are ready to add a very cool fish to it, head to your LFS and ask them about Distichodus sexfasciatus from Aquatropic today!